Amazon’s newest and most advanced e-reader, Kindle Oasis 2, is also asymmetric. And it’s where similarities end. Comparing these two devices would show how much the technology and reading experience has changed in just ten years.

The new Kindle is innovative. Innovative enough to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Amazon Kindle.

Find the best Kindle cases and accessories for the basic Kindle, Paperwhite, and Oasis. The list includes items not only from Amazon but also Etsy, Caseable, eBay, and other sites.

Kindle Oasis 2 (2017) – things to know

Kindle Oasis can play audiobooks

“The first waterproof Kindle” is the most common description of the 2017 Oasis e-reader. However, the ability to resist water is not its most outstanding feature.

It’s the ability to play audiobooks.

Besides audiobooks that you can listen autonomically, the 2017 top-shelf Kindle is capable of playing audiobook companions of Kindle books. It’s the feature similar to Kindle apps on Fire tablets or Android-powered devices.

If the Audible companion is available for the Kindle book you own, you can buy it and download to your Kindle app (and now also Kindle Oasis 2). Once the download is complete, the audio and text are in a full sync, thanks to the feature called “Whispersync for Voice.” You can start playing the audio companion at the page you are currently reading – and vice versa.

The most exciting thing about Kindle Oasis 2 is that it lets you enjoy books with all senses, and adjust the way of following the story to current mood and situation.

Audible is not free with Kindle Oasis

When you read that Kindle Oasis 2 comes with Audible built-in, you may hope you’ll get Amazon audiobook service for free.

In a Kindle Oasis 2017 announcement there is a passage saying: “Audible will be available on the all-new Kindle Oasis via a free over-the-air update when the device ships.” It sounds like a proof you’ll get a free Audible when your Oasis arrives.

Don’t get too excited. What is free is not a subscription but an update to Kindle Oasis software. This update will let you add and play Audible audiobooks.

To enjoy audiobooks on your Kindle Oasis 2, you’ll have to pay for them just like you do on your Fire tablet’s Kindle app or in an Audible app.

There are two ways to add audiobooks to Kindle Oasis:

buy Audible audiobooks separately,

subscribe to Audible for $14.95 per month.

When you browse Amazon for audiobooks, you may get the wrong impression that all audiobooks are free. The price you’ll usually see it “$0.00”. Take a closer look. Under the price, you will see in small type “Free with Audible trial.”

Audible trial, just like trials for most other subscriptions offered by Amazon, lasts 30 days and is free. After that period, you will be charged $14.95 on a monthly basis for a comfort of listening one free audiobook each month and 30% discount on any additional audiobook you buy.

Kindle Oasis 2017 doesn’t have speakers and headphone jack

The newest Kindle Oasis can play audiobooks but doesn’t have speakers?There is something wrong here.

Everything is perfectly fine. The Oasis has Bluetooth instead. You can, therefore, connect Bluetooth-enabled headphones or speaker and have audiobooks played that way.

The lack of internal audio components was a tough but right choice. Not every user of the 2017 Oasis would want to listen to audiobooks (as we’ve learned already, they are not free), so why adding extra cost and bulk?

The Bluetooth used in Kindle Oasis 2 has advanced support for audio streaming, called A2DP – Advanced Audio Distribution Profile. It also has Audio/Video Remote Control Profile. Thanks to that, you will be able to control audiobook playback from your headphones or speakers.

Oasis 2 is lighter and thinner

Everyone expects a high-end product to be better than more affordable competitors in as many areas as possible.

Thanks to a unique asymmetric design, the newest Oasis is extremely thin. On the lighter side, its depth is only 0.13 in (3.4 mm). The other side still impresses. The depth is 8.3 mm, compared to 9.1 mm in the Paperwhite.

Reducing the depth was achieved not only by using aluminum back cover or removing audio components. The asymmetric design has its important role, as well. Extending the bezel on one side allowed for moving most parts there, leaving as little as possible behind the screen.

Attention to details and using premium components resulted in reducing the weight of the 2017 Kindle Oasis to 6.8 oz (194 g). It’s 11 g less than Kindle Paperwhite.

2nd-generation Kindle Oasis has a larger screen

You may say: “Eleven grams? It’s nothing to be excited about.” You’re right, if you compare the devices with the same-size screen, it’s nothing special.

But Kindle Oasis 2 has the larger display. And “bigger” usually means “heavier.”

The 2017 Oasis is the first Kindle since the DX with a screen bigger than 6 inches.

The display used in new Kindle Oasis has 7 inches. It’s front-lighted so that you can read ebooks comfortably in the dark, without the need to keep an exterior source of light turned on.

The screen is not only larger. It’s also better. The contrast is as high as in the flagship Paperwhite, and the pixel density of 300 ppi makes the text look clear and crisp. Resolution of the display is 1680 × 1264 px, and it’s higher than in the Paperwhite.

The 7-inch screen has a chance to become a new standard in e-readers. Compared to 6-inch Kindles, Oasis shows 30% more text, giving you more space and less page turns, what results in a more comfortable reading experience.

Asymmetric design has its purpose

A unique (for some users “bizarre”) design, seen already in the 1st-generation Oasis, features an extended bezel on one side, with comfortable page turn buttons.

This attention-grabbing shape was not designed to make people talk about it. We’ve already shared one practical benefit: moving components from behind the display reduced the depth.

There is a more important benefit, though. The thicker side of the Oasis is perfect for a grip. It’s also where the center of gravity is. Thanks to that, Kindle Oasis feels lighter because the majority of its weight is located right in your palm.

As a result, keeping the device in one hand is easier than ever before.

And it’s the primary benefit of the asymmetric design – to let you read books one-handed for long hours.

Don’t expect any discount on Kindle Oasis 2 soon

Usually, when the new Kindle model is introduced, you can expect price deals coming in the first main shopping event.

For instance, the 8th-generation basic Kindle launched in mid-2016, and a few weeks later – during Prime Day 2016 – it was available for a price slashed by $30.

Don’t expect Amazon will do the same with Kindle Oasis. It’s the model that is rarely included in any deal, even exclusively addressed to Prime members. You can see lower prices on the basic Kindle, the Paperwhite, the Voyage, and all the Kindle Bundles. Oasis? No.

Kindle Oasis deal is like water in the desert. You have to look hard and wait long until you find it.

So, if $249.99 for a waterproof e-reader with Audible support is too much, you have to accept it. Don’t wait too impatiently for a deal, because you won’t find it.

If I had to predict whether Kindle Oasis 2 gets a price cut during the upcoming Black Friday or Cyber Monday 2017, I would bet it won’t.

Kindle Oasis 2 is waterproof

I left water resistance as the last topic to talk about not because of “last but not least.”

First, the Oasis is not the first waterproof e-reader. Just the opposite, it comes late, three years after Kobo Aura, and two years after Nook GlowLight Plus.

Oasis 2 is waterproof because competitors are. But, to be frank, is water resistance an essential benefit of e-readers?

Ability to withstand water is a helpful feature of devices that you use in extreme conditions. A smartphone that you always take with you, no matter whether you are jogging or climbing a mountain, is sometimes used in most unpredictable circumstances.

But an e-reader? When it’s raining, are you going outside to read a book to see raindrops splash on your e-reader, or do you prefer to stay at home on your cozy sofa with a cup of tea?

Let’s assume for a while you love reading in the rain. The water resistance rating the newest Kindle Oasis bears is IPX8. It means you can leave it in water, two meters under the surface, and come back in an hour – and your device will not get any damage.

Kindle Oasis 2 – useful links

If you’d like to explore further all the pros and cons of the newest Kindle, make sure to follow the links below:

Kindle Oasis 2017 – tech specs

We’ve collected all tech specs in one place so that you can analyze the 2017 Kindle Oasis e-reader in detail.

Screen

7-inch E-Ink Carta touchscreen

Levels of gray

16

Front light

Yes

Screen resolution

1680 × 1264 pixels

Pixel density

300 ppi

Waterproof

Yes

Waterproof rating

IPX8 – tested to withstand immersion in 2 meters of fresh water for 60 minutes

Storage capacity

• 8 GB (aproximately 6 GB available to the user) – thousands of books or over 35 Audible audiobooks
• 32 GB (aproximately 27 GB available to the user) – thousands of books or over 160 Audible audiobooks

microSD card

No

Body color

Front: black, back: aluminum

Battery life

A single charge lasts up to six weeks, based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless and Bluetooth off and the light setting at 10

Charge time

• Under 3 hours from a computer USB
• Under 2 hours using the Amazon 5W charger (sold separately)

Weight

• Wi-Fi version: 6.8 oz / 194 g
• Wi-Fi + Cellular: 6.8 oz / 194 g

Dimensions

6.3 × 5.6 × 0.13-0.33 in / 159 × 141 × 3.4-8.3 mm

Wi-Fi

Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b, or 802.11g, or 802.11n standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication or Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

Cellular

4G LTE connectivity in US where available, 3G/EDGE/GPRS in other locations; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide wireless coverage via AT&T’s 4G LTE high-speed data network in the U.S and AT&T partner networks outside of the U.S

Yes; capable of playing Audible audiobook companions for Kindle ebooks. Pair with Bluetooth-enabled speakers or headphones

Bluetooth

Yes; with support for A2DP compatible stereo headphones, speakers, microphone

Accessibility features

The VoiceView screen reader, available over Bluetooth audio, enables access to the vast majority of Kindle Oasis features. Kindle Oasis also includes the ability to Invert Black and White, adjust font size, font face, line spacing and margins

Amazon Kindle Oasis (2017) – waterproof, Audible ready

8 GB / Wi-Fi

The first waterproof Kindle
No more soggy pages with the all-new Kindle Oasis – it’s IPX8 rated to protect against immersion in up to two meters of fresh water for up to 60 minutes. And it’s built to withstand getting splashed at the beach or dropped in the bathtub, hot tub, or pool.

Now with Audible
Now you can listen to the world’s largest library of audiobooks on your Kindle—anytime, anywhere, while traveling, cooking, or when you just want to rest your eyes. Pair with Bluetooth headphones or speakers to move seamlessly from reading to listening. Available via a free over-the-air update.

Ideal for one-handed reading
The ergonomic design shifts the center of gravity to your palm, to rest in your hand like the spine of a book. Easily turn the page with either the touch display or dedicated page turn buttons. Whether you choose to read with your left or right hand, the page orientation automatically rotates to match.

Larger storage capacity
Kindle Oasis is now available in 8 GB or 32 GB. Carry even more titles with you.

Got you covered
Complete your Kindle Oasis experience with a protective premium leather or water-safe fabric cover. The slim, form-fitting cover opens like a book and is designed to closely wrap the bezel like a glove. Snapping securely in place magnetically, automatically wake your Kindle or put it to sleep by simply opening or closing.

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